Week in Review

Stace and I had a fancy date Thursday night, at the wedding of his co-worker and friend, Phil and his fiancee Vina

The wedding was at a beautiful outdoor venue, nearly 90 miles away from home. We had a lovely time.

On Friday afternoon, Cora met up with other GATE students to take part in an escape room. They didn't quite escape, but they had a great time. Cora wants to do another one sometime soon.

After the escape room, we picked up Jake and Charlie for some Friday afternoon fun. We went to the mall for Menchie's, playtime at the playground, and then a turn each at a new virtual reality video gaming place.

Charlie was super excited about this, and all the kids enjoyed the racing game.

Though Charlie and Violet were happy to watch their siblings race, Cora and Jake went outside to hang out.

The kiddos were fascinated by the turtles. Thankfully, no one joined them in the pond, though I was sure Char was going to end up soaking wet.

Violet took this photo - she loves animals!

We went home and the kids played, and I watched the Dodgers playoff game. This game involved Team A breaking into Team B's playroom fortress to recover a pokemon ball.

Home Again

 And just that quick, the adventure was over and we were picking up the girls again from the airport!

Their trips home were smooth and happy, too. Violet wasn't feeling the whole "take an arrival photo with Mom" idea, so I had to grab her and make her laugh.

 Naturally, Cora wasn't feeling the whole "take a nice photo with the sister you haven't seen in four days" idea, either. This is so typical of my girls and their relationship.

 Not bad. I'll take it.

 Thankful for my dad being able to come with me - the girls flights came in within 10 minutes of each other, in different terminals, so he was Cora's guardian-at-the-gate.

 Cora, I'll force you to take a smiling photo with me!

 Seeing the cats was probably the highlight of the girls' homecoming.

When Stace got home from work, we went out to the place in the mall with the great Taco Tuesday deals, and then had frozen yogurt at Menchie's and some run-around time at the mall's outdoor play area.

Arizona Joys

 Violet fit right into Sara and Tony's family so well, we didn't even talk with her until Sunday night! Obviously this kid wasn't missing home very much; she was having too much fun!

They went swimming Saturday morning - Arizona stays hot well into October.

They watched Harry Potter on the big screen in the backyard for a dive-in movie night.

There was park time, and plenty of playtime at home, too.

Sara took the girls to Build A Bear, and Violet and Alli had fun creating new stuffed friends.

Yes, they do love each other!

They also went to a driving range called Top Golf - Violet loved it! Maybe Stace will have a new activity to do with her.

Violet helped make her own breakfast on Tuesday, her last morning. Alli and her sisters are also on a Fall Break, so they were off school while Violet was in town.

Violet had such a great time with these dear, dear friends of ours. Sara and Tony, we can't thank you enough! Can't wait to spend time with you again, next time!

Pacific Northwest Adventures

Cora had a great weekend with Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill, and loved being in the Pacific Northwest in autumn. The weather was turning a bit brisk, perfect for hiking, and she even got to experience rain and blackberry picking again!

Cora also was spoiled with her own gorgeous bedroom and big comfy bed, like a proper grown-up guest. She felt so loved, and really enjoyed herself.

 A neighbor's overflowing apple tree provided a fun activity on Day One. Cora picked loads of apples, which she and Aunt Patty turned into an apple pie. Wish she could have brought one home for us!

 They also spent time with cousin Will and Anna, and their dog Oakley, and went out hiking together.

 One of their walks revealed this sweet nearly hidden stucture.

Cora was fortunate to be in the Northwest during salmon spawning season - and with some rain on Monday, the creek nearby filled enough to encourage the salmon to do their thing. 

It was just chilly enough to enjoy a warm fire. What a lovely scene! Cora ate well, of course, as we always do with Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty. And she was able to help create some yummy things, including soft cheese. They also watched some movies.

Aunt Patty took Cora into Seattle on Monday, where they hit a couple of highlights, including Pike Place Market. I've been so many times, I hadn't considered the fact that Cora hadn't been there since she was a very tiny girl. We have so many fun Seattle things to look forward to on our next family trip!

Don't let that sweet smile fool you -  Cora found the famous gum wall to be entirely disgusting.

I've given Cora my old phone, and though it doesn't have service, it works as a camera and a communication device, through email and a Facebook Kids Messenging app. We video-chatted every night through the app, and she was able to share her photos with us as soon as she was back on WiFi. 

What an adventure! Thank you, Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill!

Weekend Together

 What did Mom and Dad get up to while the girls were away? On their first full day, it was cars, cars and more cars.

We took a lovely walk Saturday morning through the canyon to breakfast at Granary Square. On our walk back home, we passed the senior-living home, and an antique car show was taking place.

 Stace enjoyed checking out the offerings, and he and the owner of this 1920s Model A had a nice conversation.

 Later, we went into L.A. to make our long-awaited return to the Petersen Automotive Museum.

We started the afternoon with a bit of luck - right outside the museum's $15 parking structure, we found street parking with a meter with loads of time left. For a quarter, we parked for the rest of the afternoon! (This kind of makes up for the $32 I spent at the short-term lot at Burbank airport the day before...)

Great Scott! It's the actual DeLorean used in filming Back to the Future!

Stace checked out this gorgeous 1964 Porsche 901, which was later to become the iconic 911 when Peugeot objected to the maker using a "0" as the middle digit.

After returning to SClarita, we went to the Newhall Press Room, a newish wine bar/restaurant on Main Street, which has become a happening place to be. Lots of new spots for a beverage and a meal, and cute shops, too.

We had drinks and dessert, and my dad joined us. He and my mom are firmly in Fright Fest season, so my dad has a lot of free time when Mom is witching it up every weekend.

On Sunday, we went up to Montecito for the night. We stayed at the adorable Coast Village Inn, where we had such a great stay a year ago for our anniversary.

We checked in, got settled, and went to dinner at Los Agaves, which has become a favorite of ours. Then we wandered up and down State Street, though since it was a Sunday night, it was relatively quiet.

We enjoyed a simple (but complimentary!) breakfast the next day, and took a walk down Montecito's main drag.

Then, just because it was gorgeous and we had an hour before checkout, I took my coffee to the pool to relax in the sun on a cozy lounge chair.

We then checked out and got out our bikes.

The hotel is perfectly located to ride down to the beach on the bike path.Such a perfect day!

We had lunch at the wharf, listening to the Dodger game.

Then we rode further north to watch the surfers at the point, still listening when Cody Bellinger hit a home run to put the Dodgers ahead. They were playing the Rockies in an extra regular season game, to determine which team won the the division. Both finished the year Sunday with the exact same record.

Well, the Dodgers won Monday, and move into the playoffs in a good position.

We then rode back to our car and headed north to Goleta, to Moss Motors, so that Stace could buy MG things without having to pay shipping.

Then we went back to State Street for ramen - we'd walked past this place the night before and it sounded yummy. After a McConnell's ice cream, we hit the road.

Such a lovely time away! And strange to come home to no girls! But we had talked to them both and knew they were having a great time.